With your growing collection of electronics, it may seem like your home doesn’t have enough power outlets. Power strips and their more complex cousins, surge protectors, offer an easy solution: one plug in the wall, and multiple outlets for your devices. But wait! There’s more to these seemingly simple products.
To start, did you know that power outlets and surge protectors are not the same thing? And even within these two categories, not all are created equal. There’s a wide range of prices and features to consider. Many come with questionable marketing promises, too, so it’s hard to know what’s worth the money and what’s just plain bonkers.
Adding extra AC outlets and USB charging ports is incredibly useful, and often vital. But don’t waste your money on the wrong outlets. Here’s everything you need to know about power outlets and surge protectors.
Before we dive in, check out: What makes a good surge protector? For some background information. This article is the updated successor to that article and covers the basics if that’s all you need. We also have tips on Hide TV wires and products that help reduce wire clutter. Additionally, Quick Tweaks That Will Improve Your Home Theater Setup.
1. Surge Protectors vs Power Strips
Power strips and surge protectors, also called surge arresters, are different.
Power outlets are usually inexpensive, multi-outlet products that are simply extensions of the wall socket. They are usually small and thin, and sometimes they are mounted directly onto the socket itself. They usually have a circuit breaker (on/off switch) of some sort, but most offer no real “protection” from electrical problems. Some may have a lower level of protection, but they all work pretty much the same as plugging directly into the wall.
Surge protectors are also relatively cheap, but unlike power strips, they offer some level of protection. As the name suggests, surge protectors protect your products from overcurrent at the expense of themselves. But more on that in a moment. How well they do this varies greatly. They are usually more complex, and often larger, than simple power strips, but not always.
So what is a power surge? It’s extra energy coming into your home. It could be due to a problem with the power lines in your area, or more commonly, a nearby lightning strike. This extra energy can damage your electronics, either all at once or gradually over time.
Yeah, I’m not sure what to do about that either, buddy.
2. Joule is a measure of protection.
Surge protectors provide protection in units called joules. Generally, the higher the number of joules the better, as this means that the device can handle one large surge, or multiple smaller surges, before your device is at risk. Over time, the parts inside the protector wear out, reducing its effectiveness.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to know how much protection the device has left, or whether the initial assessment is accurate. It’s a good idea to buy from a reputable company that includes a warranty.
3. Some come with a warranty on your items.
Some surge protectors offer a warranty (up to a certain amount) on the equipment connected to the protector. For example, in the United States, some Belkin connected models are warranted up to $300,000 and state: “Belkin Components will repair or replace any equipment damaged by a power surge, voltage surge, or lightning strike (“Occurrence”), at its sole discretion, while properly connected through the Belkin Surge Protector to a properly wired AC power line with a protective ground.”
You may never need it, but it doesn’t hurt to have it. However, keep in mind that just because it’s covered doesn’t mean you’ll ever get to use it. Note that Belkin’s quote says “at its option.” This means that they will give you any reason not to cover your claim. So don’t use this as a replacement for home or renter’s insurance.
4. Why You Probably Don’t Need an Energy “Conditioner”
There are a number of products on the market that claim to “adapt” power from the wall, promising to improve performance in your equipment.
Here’s the dirty little secret: Your gear already does this. All electronics have a power supply that takes incoming electrical current (120 volts in the US), filters out noise, and turns it into whatever the device needs. Almost nothing works on 120 volts (or AC, for that matter), so unless you have some really weird (or cheap) gear and live in an area with bizarrely insufficient power, a power conditioner is not something you need.
Do not do this.
5. Always get more ports than you need right now.
You’ll always need more ports. You’ll undoubtedly add more equipment, without necessarily having to get rid of your existing equipment. I’m not saying that if you think you need four ports, you should get 12 – but six at least is probably a good investment.
Ideally, you don’t want your surge protector to look like the picture above.
6. Get one with enough space for large plugs.
Most modern appliances use “wall outlets” — outlets that convert AC power to DC power and look like little boxes with electrical prongs sticking out of them. Consider getting a surge protector with wider outlet spacing, or outlets that can be rotated or moved, to accommodate larger outlets.
Notice how the APC example in the photo above has several narrowly spaced outlets for small plugs, and six widely spaced outlets for wall-mounted plugs.
Sorry dog.
7. Power surges can also reach telephone lines or cables.
If you want complete protection, keep in mind that telephone lines and cables may also withstand power surges. Some surge protectors have connectors for these surges as well.
8. USB is great, but check the speakers.
Many surge protectors come with USB ports, so you can charge your mobile devices without having to use their electrical outlets. This is certainly useful, but check the output amperage rating. Generally, this is either 1 or 2 amps (often labeled 1A or 2A). This is the amount of current you can get through the tube, so to speak. You’ll want at least 2 amps for a fast charge.
Most modern phones have the ability to fast charge, but you’ll need to use wall chargers to do this. But if you don’t need to charge it quickly, these lower-powered ports will work just fine.
Watch this: USB-C gets a huge power boost
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9. Traveling? Get a portable power strip.
While portable power outlets don’t offer much protection, they can prevent marital discord and/or cheer up your travel companions. Most hotels and hostels only have a few outlets, yet everyone has multiple devices that need to be recharged. Most portable power outlets add two or three additional outlets, as well as offer direct USB charging (see #8 above).
10. It doesn’t last forever.
Remember the joule rating we discussed earlier? That’s just a starting rating. This rating decreases over time. In other words, surge protectors wear out. Some will give you a warning or shut down when their protection drops below a safe level. Many will continue to operate without protection, and you won’t know until a surge damages your equipment. If you know you’ve had a serious electrical incident (like lightning that knocks out a transformer down the street), it may be worth replacing your surge protector in an emergency.
Most companies that sell surge protectors say they need to be replaced every three to five years. Sure, they’re keen to get you to buy them frequently, but with many models under $50, that cost isn’t prohibitive.
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There’s no reason why you shouldn’t get a surge protector instead of a simple power strip. If you live in an area with a lot of thunderstorms, your equipment is more likely to be exposed to power surges. Even if you live in the desert, your air conditioner or refrigerator could be sending power surges back to your audio and video equipment. Either way, the slight difference in price between a simple power strip and a surge protector is well worth the extra protection for your equipment.
There is one thing that is beyond the scope of this article, but is worth mentioning, and that is UPS devices, or uninterruptible power supplyThese devices are similar to surge protectors, but they have built-in batteries so the power to the device never goes out. At least, not until the battery runs out. They’re not necessary for most people and most devices, but if there’s something in your home that could cause serious problems if it loses power (CPAP machines, perhaps), it’s worth looking into. Just make sure they fit your specific needs.
Or to put it simply: Since most surge protectors are inexpensive, it’s worth having them (and replacing them regularly) in case of an emergency.
In addition to covering television and other display technologies, Jeff takes photo tours of museums and amazing sites around the world, including nuclear submarines, massive aircraft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000-mile road trips, and more. Check out Tech Treks for all of his tours and adventures.
he wrote Bestselling science fiction novel About city-sized submarines, along with sequelYou can follow his adventures on Instagram and his YouTube channel.
